


The Stumbles and Falls Brought Me Here

by mydeira



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 15:32:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/901924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydeira/pseuds/mydeira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance meeting in the streets of Buenos Aires.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stumbles and Falls Brought Me Here

**Author's Note:**

> Written for nongenius for sallyanne’s third Junk Drawer (on LiveJournal) challenge who requested Oz/Willow shippy with lyrics from Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest.” Enjoy. And thanks to my lovely beta Savvy for keeping me in line and on task.

_And in a white sea of eyes_

_I see one pair I recognize_

 

Buenos Aires, noon.  Willow was doing her weekly shopping in the market and trying her best to make her four years of high school French translate into Argentinian Spanish.  It wasn’t going well.  After six months in the South American country one would think she would have found her feet with the language by now, at least to get around.  But it looked like languages, living ones at least, weren’t her strong suit.

 

With a frustrated sigh, she paid for her purchase and left the fruit stand, immediately colliding with a solid body.

 

“Sorry,” they both said.

 

It wasn’t the fact that the collision victim had apologized in English, but that the voice was familiar, albeit one she hadn’t heard in nearly five years.  Daring to look up, Willow found herself face to face with Oz, looking as Oz-like as ever.

 

“Hey,” he said, flashing a small smile.

 

“Oz!” she cried, throwing her arms around him in a bear hug, not caring about her fruit falling onto the dusty street.

 

“Willow,” he said warmly, returning the hug.

 

Pulling back, she looked at him, really looked at him.  A little bit older but otherwise the Oz she remembered.  “It’s so good to see you.”

 

“How have you been?” he asked, reaching down to pick up her bag.

 

She bent down and helped him.  “Going a bit crazy tracking down and training slayers.  I definitely have a new respect for Giles now.  Not easy having to instruct a group of teenage girls who would not only rather be out shopping instead of stalking around cemeteries but probably only understand one word in ten of what I say.  Which in many respects is above average considering how I can babble like nobody’s business.”

 

“Wait, slayers?  Other than Buffy and Faith?” Oz cocked his head studying her.  “That explains some things I’ve seen over the past year.”

 

As was often the case, that was all the explanation Oz seemed to need.  Okay then.

 

“So what brings you to Buenos Aires?” Willow asked.

 

He shrugged.  “Realized I hadn’t been to Argentina yet.  Figured it was a good place to start.”

 

“I’m glad you chose it, because, hey, could have knocked over a complete stranger and where’s the fun in that?” 

 

He laughed at that.

 

Willow decided to take a chance, “You aren’t hungry by any chance, are you?  Because I’ve learned how to make a killer gazpacho.  About the only thing I can cook, but it’s edible.  But if you don’t want to, I understand.  I just thought, it’s been awhile so—”

 

“Willow, I’d love to,” Oz cut off her babble with a smile.

 

She hadn’t realized until that moment just how much she’d missed him.

 

 

_I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you we belong._

Oz watched Willow as she flitted about the small apartment, trying to straighten up, cook, and catch him up on things.

 

He was sad to hear about Anya’s death at the hands of one of the Bringers.

 

“I ran into her about a year ago in Brazil, got the chance to know her better,” he explained.  “Did she and Xander ever work things out?”

 

Willow smiled sadly, “Shortly before the whole thing with the First went down actually.  That should have been a big warning sign.”

 

One of the rules of living on the Hellmouth—if things were going well, especially too well, that was a good indication that soon they would be going horribly wrong. 

 

Her back was to him now as she prepared the meal, so he was able to study her closely.

 

“I’m sorry about Tara,” he said finally.  Willow froze in place.  “If things had been different, I think I would have liked her.  She was a good person.”

 

“Thank you,” he barely heard the soft-spoken words.

 

It took him a moment to realize she was crying.  He was off the couch and by her side in an instant.  Tentatively he put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

 

“Oh,” she said sniffling, “don’t mind me.  I just...it...”

 

“Hey,” he pulled her into his arms as she began to sob, burying her face against his shirt.  “Shh, it’s okay.  I’m here for you, Willow.”

 

She began to cry harder at that.  Oz stood there, holding her.

 

“I-I tried to move on...but Kennedy wasn’t... It d-didn’t work,” she mumbled against his shirt.  “Wh-when you l-left...at l-least you were ssstill...out there ssome-where...b-but ssshe’s n-not...”

 

He stroked her hair in silence, letting her say what she needed to say.

 

“Tara mmade things ri-right...with you gone...but Ken-nedy d-didn’t...”  Sniffing, she pulled back.  “S-stupid to th-think I could get lllucky a third t-time, huh?”

 

His hand caressed the side of Willow’s face, pushing the fiery hair out of her face.  “I was the lucky one.”

 

The sad smile flickered again briefly.  “I’m g-glad you picked Ar-Argentina.”

 

“Me too,” he said as she leaned on him again.

 

 

 

_I don't get many things right the first time_

_In fact, I’m told that a lot_

 

It was almost natural that Willow asked Oz to spend the night.  Just as a friend, though.  She couldn’t let him slip away so soon.  Everyone was so scattered and out of touch, any familiar face was good to see.  And it was Oz.

 

They talked long into the night, catching each other up on things.  He remembered Sunnydale, he remembered high school, and he remembered the same people.  He remembered Cordy back when she was still Queen C, reluctantly getting dragged into fighting the good fight.

 

Fred had been the one to call and tell her the news.  Having lost nearly all contact with Angel’s gang in LA after they joined Wolfram & Hart, Willow knew something major had to be happening for one of them to call.  She’d only needed to hear Fred’s wavery “Willow?” to know.  The news hadn’t exactly been unexpected but...it was Cordelia Chase.  Nothing was supposed to defeat her.  She’d survived high school on a hellmouth, a failed acting career, blinding visions, alternate dimensions... She shouldn’t have been brought down by something as normal as a coma, even though the cause of which was anything but.  And if Cordy could die, then...

 

Cordelia’s death had been a long overdue wake up call for Willow where things with Kennedy were concerned.  Kennedy had done her best to be there for Willow but it wasn’t enough.  Their relationship wasn’t just about the sex, the really great sex, but it mostly was.  Her feelings for Kennedy were of a more casual nature.  It wasn’t something meant to last.  While it had been nice for what it was, the time had come to move on.

 

Shortly afterward they had broken up, mostly going their separate ways.  There weren’t any hard feelings and they still worked together to train the new slayers, but aside from that ...

 

And Oz being here, now, made Willow realize even more what had been missing.  With him there was a connection as well as chemistry, and the same had been true with Tara.

 

Sighing, she snuggled against Oz where he had fallen asleep on her bed with the intent of holding her until she went to sleep. The familiarity was comforting.  It felt good.

 

As she drifted off, Willow found herself thinking about things to come.  Maybe this was just a one-time thing.  Or maybe she and Oz would actually keep touch.  Life was too uncertain to not at least try.  Eventually another friend would fall, and another, and another...it was good to hang on to each other as long as possible.  And maybe, just maybe there was such a thing as a second chance with a first love, with Oz, and she could be lucky one last time.

 


End file.
